AFY_EmilyB
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From ESPN, a disturbing story about so-called "corrective rape" of female athletes:
PLEASE NOTE, both the video and print versions contain descriptions of sexual violence.
"Corrective rape," often accompanied by vicious beatings or even murder, is intended to punish lesbians for not being heterosexual. Female athletes are at higher risk because they are more likely to be out lesbians.
It is a growing phenomenon in South Africa - one that expresses a seemingly endemic homophobia and contempt for women.
Despite liberal policies and the legality of gay marriage, GLBTQ people and women face stigma and discrimination not only from their peers but up to the highest levels of government:
On paper, South Africa is among the world's most progressive countries; its constitution emphasizes the rights of the individual, and gay marriage is legal. But South Africa's constitutional aspirations run up hard against certain realities. Before his election, President Jacob Zuma was tried for raping (not corrective rape) an 18-year-old family acquaintance. He was acquitted, but his attitudes about gay marriage -- which he has condemned -- and gays and lesbians in general reflect the prejudices of many of his constituents.
"When I was growing up, [a homosexual] would not have stood in front of me," Zuma said. "I would knock him out."
But the persecution isn't just national, it's local:
...Rape often is difficult to prove, for a variety of reasons, but South Africa's laws, more than those of most nations, vigilantly protect the rights of the accused, which is unsurprising in a country in which most people were denied their rights for so long. This vigilance has resulted in extremely low conviction rates.
..."If I walk with my partner, my girlfriend," Mkhuma says, "the very same people from where I stay, boys, they will say things, they will say, 'Please don't walk like a guy because the guy proved to you that you are a woman, you know.' They would laugh. They make that as a joke."
No person should have to face this emotional and physical abuse. South Africa has the honor and responsiblity of hosting Soccer's World Cup in just under a month. Its goverment surely owes it to their female athletes, and to all women and GLBTQ people, to condemn and eradicate this disgusting crime.
I am proud of those women for telling their stories though. Especially the last one. I really hope their government can step up and recognize this as a special category of hate crime.
The writer of this article should get their facts straight and stop spreading lies, and painting South Africa in a bad light, as if we dont have enough to deal with already.
Well, while you seem to be correct that the ESPN writer is wrong about the age of Zuma's accuser, I am not sure whether that speaks to the substance of the article.
When there is a disturbing trend that illustrates negative cultural forces around sexuality, we comment on it. When acts perpetuated by lowlifes and criminals are supported both by policies and customs, then they need to be called out - whether in South Africa, South Carolina, or the South Pole.